Victor Ezeja- Two Prison Officials Missing
UNKNOWN gunmen attacked Nigerian prison facility at Kabba, Kogi state on Sunday night, killing one police officer, one soldier and freeing 266 inmates.
A statement from the Ministry of Interior sent to Prime Business Africa confirmed the attack, saying two prison officials are currently missing after the incident.
Part of the statement reads, “During the attack, security officers on duty which comprised of 15 Soldiers, 10 Police Officers and 10 armed guards of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) on duty fought gallantly to repel the attack. Regrettably, two officers of the Correctional Service are yet to be accounted for while one soldier and a policeman lost their lives during the attack.
“The Kabba Custodial facility had 294 inmates as at the time of the attack, many of whom escaped after the gunmen used explosives to destroy three sides of the perimeter fence. However, there remain 28 inmates who didn’t escape. Some have also voluntarily returned to the facility as at this morning.”
Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has assured the citizens that Nigeria’s security forces would find the attackers and bring them to justice.
The Interior Ministry disclosed that a combined team of security forces are trailing the attackers and escaped inmates.
“A Crisis Response Centre has been activated and a Special Taskforce mobilized to recapture escaped inmates whilst an Inter-Agency Security Task Force is already on the trail of the gunmen who attacked the facility. The public is advised to stay calm as the situation is under control.
”We shall leave no stone unturned to bring them back to custody. We are also putting INTERPOL on notice with their details, in case any of them attempts fleeing outside our shores.
“We urge the people, especially the communities around the custodial facility, to be vigilant and report any strange and suspicious persons or activities to the nearest law enforcement agency,” Interior Ministry stated.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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